Migratory birds under watch in usual habitats

THRISSUR: Following the avian flu scare, bird experts  and ornithologists are keeping a watch on Thrissur-Ponnani kole land, a hot spot of migratory birds.  According to experts, the role of migratory birds in the transfer of the H5N1 strain has not been established.

But H5N1 has been identified in a number of wild birds. The timing of several outbreaks has  not coincided with the periods of major migratory movements or routes.

However, there are also reports of wild bird mortality  associated with the outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in poultry.

“The issue also assumes significance as lakhs of migratory birds have converged at Thrissur-Ponnani kole land” says Mr S. Raju, who is conducting a study on the birds’ diversity in kole.

Many of the species that have made the kole their winter retreat have flown from Europe where  H5N1 avian influenza  was  reported recently.

The European Commission has adopted protective measures after new cases were reported in the UK and the Netherlands. They say it could have been spread by migratory  birds heading south for winter, but that tests are continuing to confirm any links between the three cases.

During the last migratory period which started  by the end of November, as many as 80,000 birds, including some endangered ones such as glossy ibis and godwit, had been sighted in the kole land here.